2 posts from October 10, 2013

October 10, 2013

TAMPA -- The Panthers kept things close for a while Thursday, trailing by a goal in the second period. But as was the case in St. Louis last weekend, things unraveled and got ugly in a hurry.

For the second time in three games, the Panthers watched an opponent ring up seven goals as they were chased home with a 7-2 loss to Lightning at Tampa Bay Times Forum.

By the time Steven Stamkos scored his third of the night and baseball caps littered the ice around him, it seemed like it had been hours since Florida trailed by just one. Stamkos' hat trick made it a five-goal lead for a Lightning team that celebrated its home opener with plenty of flair.

The Panthers, on the other hand, limp home for Friday's 20th anniversary home opener, one which may have some longing for those expansion days of yore.

Florida has lost three straight and has been outscored an expansion-like 16-3 since beating Dallas last week.

Despite firing coach Denis Savard four games into the 2008-09 season when he was GM in Chicago, Dale Tallon is not expected to relieve Kevin Dineen of his coaching duties despite this rocky start.

"We've been our worst own enemies in the games that haven't been in dispute,'' Dineen said afterward. "We didn't respond well to pressure when they pressured our players. Instead of responding and knowing it was coming, it created turmoil for us. It was hard to find our sync. .-.-.

"They smelled blood when we didn't respond to their pressure. They kept applying it and we didn't stand up to it.''

Don't look now, but things may actually get worse for the Panthers before they get any better. Florida went 1-3-0 before finally heading home -- only to find a well-rested Pittsburgh team waiting.

Sunday brings the 2012 Stanley Cup champion Kings and Monday offers another trip, this one to Nashville. When the Panthers return home, the defending conference champion Bruins will be the foe.

Obviously this was not the start the Panthers hoped for, not with what's on deck.

"We have to figure this out quick because it's not going to get easier,'' said Brad Boyes, who cracked Florida's 0-for-17 power play slide by scoring early in the second to make it a 2-1 game. "Seven goals is, I don't know what else to say. It's terrible.''

Tampa Bay opened the scoring eight minutes in when Martin St. Louis poked a puck past goalie Jacob Markstrom. It was 2-0 soon afterward as Stamkos drove through Erik Gudbranson and redirected a feed from St. Louis for Florida's second shorthanded goal allowed this season.

The Panthers finally got their own power play on the board in the second when Boyes tapped a puck past Ben Bishop. A goal down was as close as Florida got with the Lightning getting goals from Stamkos and Ondrej Palat within a four-minute span in the second for a 4-1 lead at the final break.

Florida cut it to two in the third when Jonathan Huberdeau charged in on Bishop and pushed the puck through. But the Bolts weren't done, with Detroit import Valtteri Filppula scoring twice before Stamkos got a new collection of caps with 7:35 remaining.

Markstrom made 18 saves on 24 shots and was pulled after Filppula's second. Scott Clemmensen came in and gave up a goal on four shots.

"This is something we have to go over, it's early but this is something you can't have in this league,'' Scott Gomez said. "We have to stop this now. The positive is we're coming right back [Friday] so we better stop the bleeding now. .-.-. We know how we can play, compete. But this has to stop. We have no time to dwell on it. We're right back into it.''

-- The Panthers and Lightning will play for a so-called 'Governor's Cup' with the winner of the four-game series getting a donation from the losing team for its youth hockey programs.

Although Florida and Tampa Bay played for the 110th time on Thursday, the two have yet to meet in the postseason.

"They are our in-state rival and the only thing that separates us is the Everglades,'' Dineen said on Wednesday. "A nasty playoff series would really push things along.''

FRIDAY: PENGUINS AT PANTHERS

When, Where: 7:30 p.m.; BB&T Center, Sunrise

TV/Radio: FSNF; WQAM-560

The series: Pittsburgh leads 40-32-4

The game: Florida is playing its first back-to-back set of the season in its 20th home opener. Pittsburgh took two of three against the Panthers last year and have won 12 of the past 15.

TAMPA -- Much has changed since the Panthers played their first home game in South Florida 20 years ago although there is plenty which has not.

The Panthers drop the puck on their 20th home opener on Friday at 7:30 -- one day shy of the 20th anniversary of the first game at Miami Arena.

The opponent on Friday is the same as it was in 1993 as Pittsburgh heads south. The Penguins won 2-1 on Oct. 11, 1993.

"It doesn't feel like 20 years at all because you have such fond memories of those times,'' said assistant coach Gord Murphy, a defenseman who scored the franchise's second goal in the 1993-94 season-opener at Chicago.

"Those days are at the front of your memory train. We were so scared in that first game you could hear a pin drop in that old Chicago Stadium locker room. It was an amazing time. We had never seen the jerseys before then. We had never worn them. It was quite a feeling knowing you were the first to do it.''

Although the team said it would play Friday's game in 1993-style jerseys, that won't happen because of league marketing rules. Instead, youngsters will wear jerseys representing the Panthers' lineup from that first night in Miami during introductions.

Former captain Brian Skrudland, who is the team's director of player development, and Rob Niedermayer (Florida's first draft pick in 1993) are expected to be on hand and will sign autographs during the intermission.

Former players and coaches with ties to Florida's first season who remain with the team include alternate governor Bill Torrey, assistant coaches Craig Ramsay and Murphy, as well as broadcasters Randy Moller and Billy Lindsay.

"That was one of the great experiences of my life and I've been in the business 43 years,'' Ramsay said. "To be part of picking that first team, that will never happen again.''

The franchise plans on celebrating not only its past, but its new beginnings as well. H. Wayne Huizenga, who brought the franchise to life in 1992, is expected to be in the building he built as is new owner Vinnie Viola.

The team will also unveil its much-anticipated $5 million high-definition scoreboard and will have the entire team meet fans and sign autographs for children following the game.

Renowned marine artist Guy Harvey created a design to celebrate the Panthers' 20th anniversary season. The design features a rendering of a panther in the wild as well as a pair of hockey sticks and some rats. It will be available on t-shirts as well as other merchandise at Friday's opener.

Harvey also did designs for the inaugural seasons of the Panthers and Marlins 20 years ago.

-- Goalie Tim Thomas (groin) worked out after Thursday's morning skate for about 20 minutes and took live shots from scratched players such as Matt Gilroy, Sean Bergenheim and Ed Jovanovski.

"Feels better,'' Thomas said as he walked into the locker room.

-- Shawn Matthias was sick and missed the morning skate but played Thursday night.